SEVERAL HOURS AGO, THE HIGH COMMAND

John Connor was walking through the corridors inside the secret base of High Command. In front of him there was a soldier who was guarding him on his way to see General Ashdown, while two more soldiers were flanking him from behind. John's weapons were already secured by the soldiers and he had let them. He didn't come here to fight. He came for peace. Unity was the key in defeating the machines. The soldier in front of him guided him left and right through the corridors, and stopped right in front of a steel door where the path ended. The soldier knocked on the door two times and placed his mouth on the intercom, "John Connor is here to see you, sir."

Another voice appeared on the intercom. "Get him inside." John assumed it must be General Ashdown. Then the door opened and John stepped inside the office of General Ashdown.

The two soldiers behind John suddenly raised their rifles and pointed towards his head. John raised his hands in surrender and showed that he was no threat to them.

"Sit Connor." It was General Ashdown, who was sitting behind a table on John's right.

John did as he was told.

Ashdown signaled his soldiers to leave the room and gave them some privacy.

John noticed there was another man, who sat right next to Ashdown. As if reading his mind, that man stood up from his seat while staring at John.

"So, you are Connor?" The man questioned. "General Losenko." He introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake which John took. "General Ashdown." Losenko pointed towards Ashdown who was puffing a cigar while scrutinizing John with his eyes. "Leader of the Resistance." Losenko added.

John didn't say anything.

"So, Connor." Ashdown said, getting up from his seat. "We heard that you had captured a T-800 factory, instead of destroying it. Is it true?"

"Yes." John replied curtly.

"Why didn't you destroy it?" Losenko asked, leaning on the desk.

"The T-800 factory is an asset to us. We can use the reprogrammed terminators to our cause. They will help us in winning this war." John answered truthfully.

"Reprogramming terminators?" Losenko raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "That's not possible Connor."

John sighed. He knew this would happen. "It is possible. Think what you want. Getting the terminators to fight by our side will give us a chance to win this war. We can do it with their help."

"Bullshit!" Losenko cursed and stepped away angrily.

General Ashdown came near John. He leaned forward towards John's face. "Do you know what I think, Connor? I think you are full of shit and a liar." He then pulled back and drew a desert eagle from his pocket. He turned the safety off of his gun and placed the cold barrel of the gun at the side of John's temple. John showed no sign of fear, instead he glared back at Ashdown. "Now the question is - Are we on the same side, Connor? Or you are a Gray?"

"Yes. We are on the same side." John replied with gritted teeth.

Ashdown stared at John for a moment, still holding him at gunpoint. Then he smirked and withdrew his gun. "Good."

Losenko stepped beside Ashdown with his back leaning back on the table. "Connor, we cannot support your idea of reprogramming terminators.

John looked away from Ashdown towards Losenko with his cold green eyes. "I was not asking, General."

Ashdown banged on the table with his fist angrily. "Who do you think you are Connor?! Do you really think that you are the leader of the resistance? Do you really think you can lead them to victory and win? By using what? Terminators?"

John didn't even flinch at Ashdown's outburst. He just stared back coldly. "I don't think, General. I know it. It is my destiny."

Ashdown's eyebrows were raised in a mocking manner. "I do not want to hear more of your bullshit, Connor. But we have a proposal for you."

"What kind of proposal?" John stared at the two superior officers evenly.

"If you do exactly what we say, then…." Losenko trailed off watching Ashdown from the corner of his eyes.

"Like?"

"Destroy the T-800 factory, Connor. The machines will never be on our side." Losenko said.

John smirked, "Some of them already are on our side."

Ashdown and Losenko knew what John meant. The reprogrammed T-800s from the Skynet factory. But they still refused to believe that the machines would turn on their creator.

"Scrap them all. That's an order soldier." Ashdown barked angrily.

John's cold eyes found Ashdown's black ones. "I can't do that. And I am not someone for you to give me orders, General."

Ashdown sighed dramatically. He reloaded the desert eagle in his hand before looking towards John. "You left me no choice but to declare you as a Gray, Connor."

"And there's only one punishment for the Grays." Losenko said with his hands behind his back.

At that moment John realized the mistake he had made. He knew from the beginning that there was something fishy when Ashdown invited him for a meeting after trying to get him and his team killed purposefully. But still he gave them a benefit of the doubt for the sake of their future. He had no intention to create borders between the resistance. That would only weaken them further and Skynet would surely exploit that weakness. He had informed his team where he was going. Many of them including Barnes and Baron had told him to think about it before accepting the invitation. And they were right. John knew that he was dead. There's nothing he could do to survive against a base full of resistance soldiers. The thing he regretted most was not telling Cameron about this meeting. He wondered what would happen to her after he died. He knew she would be all alone without him and would probably kill herself. He knew Uncle Bob once told him and his mom that terminators couldn't self terminate but Cameron was different. She was not a terminator anymore but a person who could decide for herself and not be bound to any kind of programming. She has her own free will. By coming here he'd not only killed himself but he would be the reason behind Cameron's death too. And for that he could never forgive himself.

Ashdown aimed his gun right towards John's head. John closed his eyes in anticipation but at that moment the door opened with a loud bang and three soldiers with M241 rifles in hand came in, pointing their guns right towards Ashdown and Losenko.

"Drop your weapon!" One of the soldiers warned Losenko and Ashdown.

Both Ashdown and Losenko were flabbergasted at the sudden appearance of these soldiers in their base. John was shocked too. He noticed the uniform of the soldiers. They were not as same as the uniform of the soldiers under Ashdown's command.

"Who the hell are you people?" Ashdown asked in complete shock.

But the soldier didn't answer him. "Please put down your weapon and hands above your head where I can see them." The soldier warned instead. "I will not repeat again, sir."

Ashdown knew he had nowhere to go. He dropped the weapon on the ground and did as he was told to. Losenko did the same. He wondered how these soldiers got inside the secured base. What happened to his soldiers? Are they all dead?

At that moment another soldier stepped inside the office. She seemed to be the leader of the soldiers who came to John's rescue. She was wearing a black cap on her head, goggles on her eyes, an armored vest and a black uniform, and combat boots. In her hand she had an Auto 9mm 1A and on her back was a SPAS 12 shotgun. As soon as she stepped inside the office her eyes fell on John. And green eyes met green ones.

"Mom?" John could only whisper with a teary eyed expression on his face.

And in the next second both were hugging each other fiercely, son and mother. Both had tears in their eyes. Tears of joy. At last John got his mother back and Sarah got her son back.

But Sarah Connor was always in better control of her emotions from the rest of her humans. Years of suppressing emotions inside her had taught her. She quickly pulled back from the hug and looked her son in the eyes.

"John, we have to go now. There's not much time left." Sarah said.

"Excuse me. Who are you? And what are you doing here inside my base, acting like terrorists?" Ashdown cut into the mother and son's reunion.

Sarah's jaw flexed in anger at Ashdown's questions. She pulled off her goggles and glared at Ashdown.

"If we were acting like terrorists you would have been dead by now, Ashdown." Sarah snapped at the General. "I should kill you, after what you tried to do to John."

"What exactly?" Ashdown glared at Sarah. He tried to act smart because he was sure that this woman had no proof against him.

Sarah didn't have to answer. Three more soldiers appeared inside the office. One was female with flaming red hair, one was a male with dark skin and the third one was Dietz. But John's focus was not on Dietz. He was looking at the other two because they seemed extremely familiar to him.

"Hey, John." The female soldier with flaming red hair smiled at him.

"Umm.." Was all John could say as he was unable to recognize her.

She didn't seem disappointed at the fact that John couldn't recognize her. "It's me. Savannah. Savannah Weaver."

John's jaw dropped open in shock. But he had more surprises left.

The dark skinned soldier extended his hand towards John for a friendly hand shake. John scrutinized his face properly and then with a quick jolt he realized who the soldier was.

"Danny?" John asked, his eyes wide.

"Long time no see, John." Danny smiled and shook John's hand.

Dietz glared at the two generals in anger. He was holding a tape in his hand. He tapped the play button and two voices were heard coming out of it.

"This is not acceptable! Connor has gone too far this time."

"Calm down, please."

"I knew Connor was trouble from the beginning. Sending him and his team to secure the Skynet plasma factory gave me an opportunity to get rid of him for good. But that bastard somehow survived."

"General. Can I talk to you as a friend?"

"I already voiced my opinion before about sending Connor and his team to that mission. Our soldiers already looked up to Connor. Getting him killed on purpose wouldn't help our cause. The Los Angeles base is already unresponsive to us."

"What are you suggesting? That we tolerate Connor's insolence? He already self-declared himself as the leader of the Resistance."

"No. But if you want to stop Connor, there's a better way to deal with him other than killing him."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Invite Connor here alone and manipulate him to work under our orders. He is just a kid."

"And what good will it do to us?"

"We can't deny that Connor is a good leader. He is natural. Most people are ready to follow him. If we control him, then we control the people."

"And if he doesn't agree?"

"Shoot him. Tell them that Connor tried to shoot you, to take over your position. Who do you think the people will believe? Us or a random all knowing kid?"

"That will take care of Connor. Has Sergeant Dietze reported yet?"

"Not yet. But I can assure you that he won't betray us like the Reese brothers."

The recording ended there.

Both Ashdown and Losenko'e eyes were wide in shock and fear. "How the hell did you get this?"

At that moment Danny intervened. "That would be me, General."

Ashdown's eyes flared up in anger at the betrayal. "Johan? You betrayed us?"

Danny shook his head. "Not Johan. Danny. Danny Dyson. And I was never your puppet General."

Sarah looked at the wrist watch on her hand. "We have to go now." She repeated the same sentence again.

"Wait!" John stopped her. "What's going on, mom?"

"No time to explain, John. Skynet is coming. The location of this base is exposed." Sarah warned her son.

John's eyes widened, including Ashdown's and Losenko's. "What?"

Ashdown pointed his finger towards Sarah angrily and accused angrily. "You got all of us killed!"

This time Sarah couldn't control her temper. She delivered a vicious punch in Ashdown's gut causing him to double over in pain on the ground. "You did this to yourself, Ashdown. That signal you relayed, it was a trap."

"What? But it worked." Losenko said, shocked.

"It was a trap led down by Skynet. I had examined the signal and there was another hidden signal inside it. The one which broadcasted the location of this base to Skynet. I had managed to stop the other Resistance bases from broadcasting the signal but not this one." Danny explained.

"Because I was overlooking it personally." Ashdown said in realization.

No one said anything.

"Let's go John." Sarah pulled her son outside hurriedly.

The three soldiers slowly stepped outside the office still with their guns trained on the two officers. When they were outside the office they locked the door from outside.

Both Ashdown and Losenko began banging on the floor and shouted.

"What are you doing?"

"Why are you locking us in?"

"You can't leave us here."

But no one answered their pleas.


OUTSIDE THE BASE

Sarah almost dragged John outside the base by his hands. Once they were outside there were numerous vehicles and soldiers waiting outside for them. John saw there were both the soldiers who were under Ashdown's command and who came along with his mom. All were standing side by side. United. Exactly what he wanted.

"How?" Was all John could say.

"They heard the truth." Dietz said. He then looked towards John. "I am sorry, Connor. For all I did."

John just smiled. "It's in the past. Forget it." He and Dietz shook hands together.

"From now on I am your man, Connor. You lead, I will follow. So will they." He gestured towards all the soldiers standing there.

"He is right." Sarah said, placing her hand on John's shoulder. "They all look up to you, John."

John took a deep breath and let it all in. He realized his destiny had finally caught up to him.

When they were at least two kilometers away from the base, they heard the sounds of a massive explosion which shook the ground beneath them. Skynet had finally destroyed the high command base. John Connor was saved by his mother from his death. Again.


SEVERAL HOURS LATER, IDAHO FALLS, SECRET BASE

John followed his mother inside the secret base near the Idaho falls. The soldiers also followed inside. They were given the opportunity to rest and get some food. Danny and Savannah both had their own quarters. They also went to refresh themselves after such a long journey. But John followed his mother to her room. Once they were inside and closed the door behind them, mother and son embraced each other fiercely. Once again. This time even Sarah had tears in her eyes. They just held each other and relished each other's presence after such a long time. Both were sobbing as they reflected on the past times.

Once they got a grip on their emotions, John looked at his mother. "Mom, tell me everything."

Sarah knew what her son meant. She would never forget that day when her son left behind his own mother and time traveled to the unknown future without a second thought. It hurt a lot. She had never imagined that her son would leave her. But he did. For her.

Sarah nodded. "After you left with Weaver, I was looking for Tin Miss' body. I couldn't leave the body behind. It was far too dangerous. But quickly, I realized that her body was gone too. I had no reason to stay there and Kaliba was already there. Ellison and I left the Zeira corp quickly and on our way out we destroyed the time machine. It didn't take us more than ten minutes. On our way, we spotted several agents of Kaliba entering the building."

"And then the building exploded." John finished for her.

Sarah was confused. "How do you know?"

"After I came here and met Weaver, she had told me that she planted a time bomb to destroy the TDE, so it wouldn't fall in Kaliba's hands. John replied.

Sarah nodded. "Everything after that was a blur. We knew Kaliba was after us. Ellison went to get Savannah from her school and I stacked up our gears in a car. Once Ellison met me, we were gone. We left LA behind. Savannah…. She had missed her mother but she and I grew close. It wasn't the same as you John, but I gained a daughter that day. I…." Her eyes became moistened again. "I had someone."

John slightly squeezed his mother's hand in comfort.

"It was before Judgment Day…" Sarah continued. "I was preparing for the upcoming Apocalypse and stashing weapons in a safe bunker where I knew you would find it."

John nodded. "I did find them. Those weapons helped us mom. But how did Danny end up here?"

Sarah smiled slightly. "He didn't. I sent him here as our spy. I knew the high command was planning something to get to you, John. Danny volunteered to help you."

John smiled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You know the rest, John." Sarah said.

"But where did you find Danny?"

"On my way to the stronghold just before Judgment. Like us they were also hunted by Kaliba. Tarissa and her daughter were also there with Danny. I rescued all of them. They are still here. Tarissa and her daughter help in the medical facility, Danny is our tech expert and Savannah is the best sniper we got." Sarah explained.

"You've set up a good team, mom." John sighed.

"John…." Sarah hesitated slightly. "Why did you leave?" She asked despite knowing the reason.

"You know why." John said. There were no signs of hesitation or regret in his expression. He sat down on the bed in the room and looked at his mother. "I do not regret my decision, mom. And I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"John she is….." Sarah tried to say but John stopped her. "I know what you would say mom. That she is a machine. She can't feel, has no emotions, she can't love. But she can. She can feel, she can love. She is not just a machine, she is much more."

"What about Riley?" Sarah asked, looking at her son.

"Riley?" John snorted slightly. "Riley was a lie, mom. I cared for her, yes, but not that way. Not the way I cared for Cameron. I was trying to look for someone who would make me feel normal for once. But I had quickly realized that I was never meant for a normal life. And Cameron was the only friend I had. A true friend. She was the one and I just forced myself to look in the opposite direction."

"John…." Sarah tried to say again.

But John shook his head. "No, mom. Things have changed. It is not the same between me and her anymore. It has grown into something special." John confessed. "Right now, I can't think about a life without her."

"John, I won't get between you and your happiness in these dark times. But be careful, son."

"Thanks, mom."

"So where is she?" Sarah asked. "I am surprised she'd let you stay out of her sight for this long."

"She…." John tried to answer but then his eyes went wide when he remembered something. "Oh no." He forgot to contact John Henry and let Cameron know about his situation. He was so dead.